Black Dahlia Case

Onereason this case has garnered so much attention is the vast number of people who have claimed responsibility for Beth’s death.

The 1947 murder of Beth Short, referred to as the Black Dahlia case because the victim had black hair and was reportedly know for wearing black attire, is one such case. 

Beth Short was a 22-year-old aspiring actress.  Her naked body was found in two pieces on January 15, 1947 in a vacant lot close to Hollywood.  Her body was reportedly cut in two by a butcher knife and completely drained of blood.  Even more disturbing, evidence indicates that a rope had tied down her limbs; leading many to believe she was alive, yet unconscious, at the time her body was cut in two.  In addition, reports indicated that grass had been forced into Beth’s vagina and she had been sodomized after her death. 

Other than its gruesome nature, one of the reasons this case has garnered so much attention is the vast number of people who have claimed responsibility for Beth’s death.  More than 50 people have claimed to be the murderer of Beth Short, but all of their confessions have been dismissed.

Perhaps one reason the case resulted in so many “confessions” is because of the massive amount of media coverage surrounding the case.  In fact, the coverage was so intense that much of the crime scene evidence was destroyed by the presence of the press.  This forced police to turn to the public for assistance in solving the crime.  Unfortunately, the resulting phone calls only served to further convolute the case.

A possible break in the case did occur when police received an anonymous package containing the contents of Beth Short’s purse.  The contents had been scrubbed with gasoline, making it impossible to lift fingerprints.  An address book belonging to Mark Hansen, a local nightclub owner, was also included in the package.  But the pages with names of high-profile individuals were ripped from the book.  The package contained a note saying a letter would soon follow, but one never did.  The Black Dahlia case remains unsolved and cloaked in mystery to this day.

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